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How to build a bond with your new born baby

First few days after birth are extremely important for the physical and emotional well-being of your baby. This is the time when you should try to build a bond with the new born baby. The earlier you bond with your baby, the better it is for her well-being.

How to build a bond with your new born baby

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First few days after birth are extremely important for the physical and emotional well-being of your baby. This is the time when you should try to build a bond with the new born baby. The earlier you bond with your baby, the better it is for her well-being.

Bonding is a strong sense of attachment that you develop with your baby. It is a feeling that makes you shower her with more love and affection and go to any extent to make sure she is safe. Bonding develops during the time that you spend with your baby. Some parents may bond with their babies in just a few hours after birth while others may find it difficult to bond until many days. However, no matter how long it takes, ultimately you tend to develop an everlasting emotional attachment with your baby.

How to bond with your new born baby?

New born babies are very sensitive towards all kinds of impulses. Their sensory organs are highly active from the very first hour of their birth and this makes them ready to bond soon after they are born. They have a strong sense of touch, smell, hearing and sight. Make full use of this sensitivity of your baby in order to bond with her. Personal interaction is undoubtedly the best way to bond with your baby.

Eye and Face Contact Builds Familiarity. New born babies have an inclination towards human faces and voices. A new born baby can focus her eyes 8-12 inches away. Hold her close enough so that she can focus on your face and then smile, talk or sing to her. This way, she recognizes you and starts responding to you. Repeat the same song and facial expressions so that she starts identifying you with that expression. These techniques and gestures enhance your baby’s cognitive development.

Sucking Breast in Initial Months is Comforting. Babies are born with a natural reflex of sucking the mother’s breast that enables them to gain nourishment. Initially sucking breast is involuntary in new born babies, but very soon they start relating it with satisfaction and sense of security. You can encourage your baby to learn it faster by stimulating her. Put her to breast more often and help her in sucking milk. Remember that repetition helps in building a strong neural pathway that makes the baby’s brain grow. In their first year of life, thumb sucking, fist sucking and pacifiers are calming for babies. But as they grow, these activities should be discouraged.

Tummy Time Gives Strength and Security. Give your baby some tummy time during the day. Lay her on your chest or stomach and talk to her. This helps the baby balance her head up for longer durations. This also strengthens her upper body and makes her feel secure about the surroundings as she is able to feel you and hear your heartbeat and voice. Most babies love to sleep over their mother’s tummies. Allow your baby to do so for short periods. You can also lay her on her tummy on the bed, but do not leave her unattended as she may run the risk of suffocation.

Singing Relaxes Your Baby’s Senses. This is one thing that babies simply love. Hearing your soft voice and modulations in the voice as you speak, give them immense pleasure. Your baby enjoys it all the more if you look deep into her eyes while holding her or singing to her during feeding time. You may also feel the drive to do so more and more as you watch the soothing effects it has on your baby.

Communicate Love Through Massage . Your loving touch during massage or otherwise enhances your baby’s emotional development and sensory awareness. Skin-to-skin contact is very soothing and comforting for the baby. It reduces your baby’s stress and induces deep sleep. The touch and caressing that you provide while massaging stimulates her brain to pick up non-verbal messages of love, warmth and care. This is how the baby develops trust in you.

Swaddling Provides Warmth. Swaddling the baby gives her a feeling of warmth and comfort which is very similar to the womb. It makes the baby feel secure while sleeping. Swaddling also helps confine your baby’s limbs, keeping the Moro reflex (which causes your baby to startle and throw her limbs out, often waking her up) at bay. It also reduces symptoms of colic. Be careful not to overheat your baby in warm weather. Use soft cotton sheets to swaddle the baby. You can learn how to swaddle your baby from the nurses at the hospital.

Bond with Love and Closeness.

The closer you keep your baby to you in the early days the stronger the attachment grows between you and your baby. Talking to the baby, touching her, looking into her eyes and smiling to her are various ways by which you can reassure your baby that you are there for her. In time, your baby finds your company most comforting and safe and you are able to establish an eternal bond with her.